10 Best Restaurants in Lima, Peru
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Lima has long been a popular destination among foodies, but its dining scene is now hotter than ever. Three of the city's eateries were listed in the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2017; nine were included in the list of 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America; and the World Travel Awards has named Peru the World's Leading Culinary Destination for five years in a row. When Peru's celebrity chefs Gastón Acurio and Astrid Gutsche moved their flagship Astrid & Gastón to a refurbished colonial mansion called Casa Moreyra, they inaugurated it with a week of activities attended by some of the world's top chefs and restaurant critics, and the reservation book was already filled for the next four months. Luckily, there are other world-class dining options in Lima, and the midranged restaurants are pretty impressive, too.
Amoramar
Amoramar doesn't look like much from the street, but step through the door, and you'll discover an oasis of poinciana trees in a restored adobe house. Seafood dominates the menu, with a selection ranging from the traditional pulpo a la parrilla to creative recipes such as atún saltado (tuna strips sautéed with onions and aji peppers), chaufa de quinua (vegetarian stir-fry with quinoa), and canilla de cordero (roast lamb in a mild chili sauce).
Arrive and leave by taxi at night.
Astrid y Gastón Casa Moreyra
The flagship restaurant of Peru's most celebrated chefs, spouses Gastón Acurio and Astrid Gutsche, occupies a meticulously restored colonial mansion named Casa Moreyra. Dishes are available à la carte, but the big event here is the 16-course, prix-fixe tasting menu, which takes you on a journey through Peru's culinary regions in the span of two hours. The menu changes with the seasons to ensure fresh ingredients, but expect a good mix of meat and seafood, plus a chocolate apocalypse at the end. Reserve tables at least two weeks ahead of time.
Even if you don't have a reservation, you can try to get a table on the patio, where you can order from the à la carte menu.
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Central
After years working in some of the best kitchens of Europe and Asia, superstar cuisinier Virgilio Martínez returned to Lima to launch this chic, airy venue for his culinary talents—and quickly garnered a reputation as one of Latin America's best chefs. He and his wife, María Pía Leon, change their menu every six months, but each iteration celebrates the country's edible biodiversity with fresh and often organic ingredients. They offer eight- and 16-course menus, which take your taste buds on a journey through Peru's coastal, Andean, and Amazon regions. The restaurant's new incarnation in Barranco is in every way worthy of its past.
This is currently Lima's hottest restaurant, so reserve tables at least a month in advance.
El Bodegón
El Bolivariano
La Mar
Chef Gastón Acurio's reinvention of the traditional cebichería is one of Lima's most popular lunch spots. The décor is minimal, but the menu offers a kaleidoscopic selection of delectable seafood dishes. Start by sharing a degustación de cebiche (various types of fish or seafood marinated in lime juice) or a chalana de causas (various mashed-potato appetizers with seafood-and-mayonnaise fillings). Then try the picante de mariscos (sautéed seafood in a spicy cream sauce) or one of the catches of the day. The servings tend to be large, so you may want to share.
The place doesn't take reservations, so arrive before 1 or you'll wait an hour for a table.
Maido
Malabar
Chef-owner Pedro Miguel Schiaffino travels the Peruvian Andes and Amazon in search of weird and unfamiliar ingredients that most cooks—and locals—overlook, and then incorporates them into the menu at Malabar. His list of dishes changes several times a year to ensure fresh ingredients, but most of them are organic and free-range. The restaurant offers both à la carte selections and multi-course set meals that combine foods from the coast, mountains, and jungle. Added plus: the bar here, run by Schiaffino's father, has some of the best cocktails in Lima.